I spent a few days in Phoenix, Arizona last week to attend a tourism conference. As an advertising sales and marketing executive at Los Angeles magazine, these conferences help me understand the lay of the (tourism) land so I can create tailored marketing programs for clients. There was a phenomenal keynote speaker at the conference that had me thinking about how I conduct my business and manage my time. I also own and manage an apartment building and I strive to keep up this blog. With that being said, I try to make time an ally and not an enemy, so I’m always looking for ways to be efficient.

The speaker was Steve McClatchy and he is THE man on time management. His companyAlleer Training & Consulting helps companies improve performance and work efficiently. Steve offered entertaining and insightful ways to achieve the things you want in life and not let little tasks bog you down. He broke it down like this: we put higher emphasis on menial tasks (e.g. grocery shopping, laundry, getting the car washed, ect.) versus things that can make an impact in our lives (e.g. writing a book, traveling or checking items off your bucket list) because the former have deadlines and the latter do not. When you prioritize menial tasks, you never get around to bigger tasks that provide improvement and balance in life such as those items on your bucket list.

Steve makes total and complete sense, right? It sounds so simple. Then why do most people prioritize menial tasks on the to-do list? He says because our brains are hardwired to think that way. After I thought about this concept, I started to think about what I can do differently to get my more important goals accomplished.

Steve suggested the following for getting more important goals accomplished:

1. Create deadlines for bigger tasks you never get around to accomplishing just like you would with menial tasks. He recommends scheduling time on your calendar.

2. Delegate menial tasks. How much of your weekend is spent running errands? How much of your time in the office is spent on smaller tasks that can be delegated? There are companies like Run Around Betties that can help accomplish those smaller tasks so you can focus on your goals. Yes, it may be more expensive to hire someone but can you put a price tag on accomplishing items on your bucket list?

I did pick up his book Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your Stress, and Lead by Example at the conference. While I haven’t had the chance to read it, Amazon reviewers seem to give it two thumbs up. I’m looking forward to seeing what other nuggets of information I can pick-up to tackle my ever-growing bucket list.